Innovate New Mexico, the state’s network of leading technology transfer organizations, is gaining traction in its efforts to become the state’s united entrance to the innovative technologies coming from New Mexico’s research universities and national labs.  On April 18, the network—STC.UNM, NMSU Arrowhead Center, New Mexico Tech, and the Sandia, Los Alamos, and Air Force Research Labs—held its third technology showcase at the Sandia Golf Club in Albuquerque.

 

The day’s events included welcoming remarks from Lisa Kuuttila, CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer at STC.UNM; Mary Monson, Senior Manager of Industry Partnerships at Sandia; Peter Anselmo, Executive Director of  the Center for Technology Commercialization, Terry Lombard, Director of IP & Technology Transfer at the NMSU Arrowhead Center; Ross Munchhausen from the Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation at Los Alamos; and Matt Fetrow, Tech Engagement Lead at the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL).

 

Six researchers from UNM, NMSU, NM Tech, Sandia, and AFRL pitched their technologies (see list below) to 160 attendees  comprised of national and international companies, investors, entrepreneurs, and local business and community leaders.

• Pseudomorphic Glass for Space Solar Cells, David Wilt – AFRL
• Microneedle Sensors to Monitor Health and Human Performance, Ronen Polsky, PhD – Sandia
• DNA-Based Biosensor, Steve Graves, PhD – UNM
• Method and System for Purifying Produced Water, Jianjia Yu, PhD – New Mexico Tech
• Ligand-Directed Targeting and Molecular Imaging Based on In Vivo Phage Display, Renata Pasqualini, PhD and Wadih Arap, MD, PhD – UNM
• ZIF CO2 Capture, Nasser Khazeni, PhD – NMSU

 

The event also featured 18 New Mexico start-up companies and organizations on display:  AEGorsuch Designs, Biophagy, Inc., BioSafe Technologies, Cylenta Pharmaceuticals, Ecopesticides International, Enthentica, EquiSeq, KoolArmor, Michael Wallace & Associates, Osazda Energy, Osazda Materials, PanMuse, LLC, VisionQuest Biomedical, Zeall, Zocere, Inc., New Mexico Start-Up Factory, New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and Northern New Mexico College.

 

Presenters and exhibitors had ample networking sessions to talk with company technology scouts for possible business opportunities.  Meetings were also scheduled and held between companies and start-ups and technology inventors.

 

The lunch time session, moderated by Lisa Kuuttila, featured a panel of New Mexico start-up CEOs who discussed their experiences growing their companies in New Mexico.  Participants were Brian Barnes, Project Manager of Resilient Solutions 21, Mark Fidel, Co-Founder and Head of Corporate Development for RiskSense, David Joseph, Co-Founder and CEO of Avisa Pharma, and Carlos Murguia, CEO of KoolArmor.  Ms. Kuuttila noted that New Mexico is ranked 18^th in the U.S. for its innovation assets and 1^st  in R&D per capita.   The speakers cited several advantages to entrepreneurs who start companies in New Mexico:  access to a tremendous amount of IP in an R&D-rich environment, support from science, technology, and business communities, state government incentives such as job training and tax credits, and low cost-of-living.  Disadvantages included a lack of large institutional investors, not enough private sector development (need bigger companies here), and not enough senior management talent to run new companies.

 

The showcase ended with closing remarks from Jennifer Sinsabaugh, Center Director of MEP, and Julia Wise, Manager of the Office of Science and Technology for the New Mexico Economic Development Department.

 

Innovate New Mexico would like to thank the presenters, exhibitors, and lunch panelists.  A special thanks goes to our shark panelists:  Nyika Allen, President & CEO of the New Mexico Technology Council, Kathleen Gardenswartz, Co-Founder of Surefi, Kyle Gui, Founder of Pencil-In, Robert Nath, Member of the STC Board of Directors, Dorian Rader, Vice President of the New Mexico Angels, and Mathis Shinnick, CEO of OptiPulse, Inc.  Last but not least, Innovate New Mexico is deeply grateful to the following event sponsors:  Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), AFRL, Sandia National Laboratories, MEP, and New Mexico Tech.

 

To read more about the technology showcase, see Kevin Robinson-Avila’s April 18, 2017 article, “Innovation event displays technology from around NM,” from the Albuquerque Journal, reprinted below.

By Kevin Robinson-Avila / Journal Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 18th, 2017 at 2:20pm

There’s still time to register for Innovate New Mexico®’s Spring 2017 Technology Showcase, to be held on Tuesday, April 18^th, at the Sandia Resort & Casino Golf Club.

The special collaborative event will highlight research and technology opportunities, start-up companies, and economic development resources from the leading research institutions in the state of New Mexico.   Inventors from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Los Alamos National Labs, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech, Sandia National Laboratories, and STC.UNM/The University of New Mexico will pitch their technologies to invited industry representatives and investors.  Start-up from around the state will be on hand to showcase their company products as well.

The day will include eight featured technology presentations, a lunchtime panel of local entrepreneurs, and networking breaks throughout to visit start-up tables.  The showcase begins with registration at 8:00 am followed by technology presentations and feedback from shark panels.  The lunchtime panel of New Mexico start-up CEOs includes David Joseph, CEO of Avisa Pharma, Mark Fidel, Co-Founder of RiskSense, Inc., Brian Barnes, Senior Planner & Program Manager at Resilient Solutions 21, and Carlos Murguia, Co-Founder of KoolArmor.  A dessert and coffee networking reception will following the event, which wraps up at 3:00 pm.

We extend a special thank you to The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) for their sponsorship of the showcase.  PhRMA represents the country’s leading biopharmaceutical research companies and supports the search for new treatments and cures.

To register go to https://innovateNewMexico.eventbrite.com.

Sandia Resort & Casino Golf Club was the site of the second statewide technology showcase held on October 11th and hosted by Innovate New Mexico®, the statewide collaborative technology- transfer program for New Mexico’s research universities (UNM, NM State, NM Tech) and national labs (Sandia, Los Alamos, and Air Force Research Labs). The panoramic views of the majestic Sandia mountains were matched by an impressive display of innovative technology presentations and home grown start-up companies.

 

Approximately 250 registered attendees comprised of national companies and investors and local entrepreneurs, investors, and business professionals listened to technology pitches from faculty and lab inventors and connected with start-up companies and inventors for possible business opportunities during several networking sessions and an end-of-event reception.

 

The Innovate New Mexico® program, established in 2015, is essentially a network among the leading research institutions in the state that provides easy access for entrepreneurs, investors, and companies to New Mexico’s research and technology opportunities, start-up companies, and economic development resources. The technology showcases, presented in the fall and spring, are but one example of what the budding program plans to offer to fulfill its vision to make New Mexico “The State of Innovation” by 2020.

 

Welcome remarks were again given by Deputy Cabinet Secretary Barbara Brazil from the New Mexico Economic Development Department.

 

“Innovate New Mexico highlights a unique ecosystem of innovation that creates diversity, which leads to a more robust economy. Innovation is stifled when we stay in silos but flourishes when we collaborate. We are reading in the media on a daily basis about how the New Mexico innovation economy continues to grow, helped this year by the New Mexico Technology Research Collaborative’s grants to six start-up companies with follow-on investment, the JTIP job training program, and the new $40 million Catalyst Fund that will soon be investing in New Mexico-based start-ups.”

 

Technology Pitches

The technology showcase portion of the event consisted of 12 short presentations by inventors of technologies from UNM, NM State, NM Tech, and Sandia, Los Alamos, and Air Force Research (AFRL) Labs. Helpful feedback was provided by a panel of “friendly sharks” comprised of local entrepreneurs and investors. Innovate New Mexico wishes to thank Lucrece Borrego (Senior Financial Analyst, Camino Real Capital Partners LLC), Charles Call (CEO, ActiveClean by Clean Spot), John Chavez (President, New Mexico Angels), Wayne Laslie (President & CEO, Zocere, Inc.), Mathis Shinnick (CEO, Allied Photon), and Loraine Upham (Executive Director, ABQid).

 

Below is a brief description of the technologies:

• A next generation green masonry block made from recycled paper – NM Tech
• A synthetic aperture approach (imaging interferometric microscopy) for super resolution images from optical microscopes – UNM
• A graphene-based hybrid material for chemical synthesis and separation – NM Tech
• A high-power microwave zoom antenna using metal plate lenses – AFRL
• A hydrocarbon membrane for energy and electrochemical systems –Sandia
• A structural panel that integrates fluid channels without degrading mass efficiency – AFRL
• A non-invasive molecular imaging probe to diagnose and treat infectious diseases – UNM
• A magneto-inertial fusion reactor using plasma jets – Los Alamos
• An IT security and encryption program uing Huffman coding – NM State
• A low-energy, chlorine-tolerant membrane for desalination – Sandia
• A high efficiency heat exchanger that improves surface wetting for copper, aluminum and brass – New Mexico State
• A novel, data-driven model for geothermal exploration – Los Alamos
  Go to www.innovatenewmexico.com/technologies/ to view the technology summaries.

Lunch Panel – Start-Ups in New Mexico

 

During lunch, attendees were treated to a panel discussion on start-ups in New Mexico. The panel of five New Mexico start-up CEOs discussed the challenges and advantages for start-ups in New Mexico and individual future plans for their companies. The discussion was moderated by Jennifer Sinsabaugh, Center Director, New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

 

Panel participants included Christopher Acton, VP for Operations and Services, RiskSense; R. Terry Dunlay, Founder, President & CEO, Intellicyt (A Sartorius Company); Hunter McDaniel, Founder & CEO, UbiQD, LLC; Murat Okandan, CEO & CTO, mPower Technology, Inc.; and Lucas Smith, Founder & CEO, EcoSeal. The companies represented all stages of growth from regulatory and product beta testing to strategic and customer partnership formation, to national and international sales expansion and acquisition.

 

Big challenges for start-ups in New Mexico continue to be available seed-stage funding and a trained technical work force. Big advantages, however, include the business friendly programs such as tax credits, the JTIP job training, LEDA, NMSBA, grants provided by the state, and the proximity to and close affiliation with the technology-transfer programs at the state’s research institutions. The panelists praised the state’s efforts to nurture the start-up ecosystem.

 

Several other start-up CEO’s were on hand to showcase their companies and network with attendees, including New Mexico Start-Up Factory, Cylenta, Active Clean, Zocere, Inc., Biophagy, Enthentica, BioSafe, Avisa, UbiQD, EquiSeq, MEP, OptiPulse, and ElectroSeq.

 

The day ended with closing remarks by Carlos Gutierrez and Larry Alei. Mr. Gutierrez, is a strategic alliances/innovation ecosystem specialist in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). The MBDA is the only federal agency established solely to create jobs through the growth and global competitiveness of minority-owned businesses in the United States. MBDA coordinates and leverages public and private sector resources to provide access to capital, contracts and markets. Mr. Alei is a board member-at-large on the New Mexico Technology Research Collaborative.

 

See also Kevin Robinson-Avila’s October 11, 2016 article, “NM innovations pique companies’ interest,” from the Albuquerque Journal, reprinted below.

NM innovations pique companies’ interest

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A novel, sustainable construction material made from recycled paper and cardboard piqued the interest of at least one new-technology scout Tuesday morning at the Innovate New Mexico Technology Showcase in Albuquerque.
Nakayama Kazunori of Japan’s Shimizu Corp. said his company — which manages construction, architecture and engineering services –— can see using the material in low-cost sustainable housing or disaster prevention and recovery infrastructure, such as containment walls to protect against tsunamis like the one that battered Japan in 2010.

 

The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, which is commercializing the material, presented it to showcase participants as a low-cost alternative to things like concrete or adobe that can reduce landfill waste.

 

“It’s an innovative material that could address our core business operations by introducing sustainability in building construction,” Kazunori said. “There’s a growing market for that type of thing. I could see many applications for it.”

 

Kazunori was one of nearly 250 local, national and international investors, entrepreneurs and technology transfer professionals who attended the showcase at Sandia Casino’s Golf Club event center. It’s the second such technology showcase this year by Innovate New Mexico, a new umbrella group set up to collectively coordinate technology commercialization efforts by the state’s three research universities and national laboratories.

 

“People are starting to see the value of working together to showcase our state assets,” said Lisa Kuuttila, the University of New Mexico’s chief economic development officer and head of the Science and Technology Corp., UNM’s tech-transfer office. “It benefits everyone.”

 

The event included fifteen-minute presentations by scientists and engineers with new technologies from UNM, New Mexico Tech and New Mexico State University, and from Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base. Presenters discussed a dozen different inventions, such as novel technical designs for microwave antennas to probe deeper into space, changes in lens and laser configurations for optical microscopes to view things more clearly in the nano-realm, a novel coding for secure communications, and non-invasive diagnostics for infectious disease.

 

Barbara Brazil, deputy secretary of the state Economic Development Department, said the showcase brings together the best and the brightest “idea-and-product creators” from the state’s labs and research universities.

 

“We possess a dizzying array of ideas, research, intellectual property and resources,” Brazil said. “The showcase brings attention to the tremendous potential within our ecosystem and strives to turn ideas born here into enterprise.”

 

Kazunori said New Mexico is smart to promote its technology collectively as a state.

 

“This is a great place for research and development in many fields,” he said. “That’s why we’re here. We’re looking for new business opportunities.”

The Innovate New Mexico®’s Fall 2016 Technology Showcase will be held on Tuesday, October 11th, at the Sandia Resort & Casino Golf Club.

This free special collaborative event will highlight research and technology opportunities, start-up companies, and economic development resources from the leading research institutions in the state of New Mexico. Inventors from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Los Alamos National Labs, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech, Sandia National Laboratories, and STC.UNM/The University of New Mexico will pitch their technologies to invited industry representatives and investors. Start-up from around the state will be on hand to showcase their company products.

The all-day event begins with registration and networking at 7:30 am followed by a welcome address from NMEDD Deputy Cabinet Secretary Barbara Brazil. Lunch will feature a panel of local entrepreneurs who will talk about their experiences as CEOs of New Mexico start-ups. Closing remarks will be provided by Carlos Gutierrez from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency and Larry Alei from the New Mexico Technology Research Collaborative. A networking reception will following the event at 3:30 pm.

The inaugural event for Innovate New Mexico, the new collaborative program to provide easy access for entrepreneurs, investors, and companies to cutting-edge technologies at New Mexico’s six research institutions, was a resounding success.  Held at the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum on April 26th before a crowd of 200 attendees, the affair opened with a welcome address from Barbara Brazil, Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMEDD) and Chair of the Technology Research Collaborative (TRC), and opening remarks from Jennifer Sinsabaugh, director of the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NM MEP).

 

Technology Pitches

 

The event, a technology showcase featuring twelve inventions from the Innovate New Mexico members—the University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech, Sandia National Labs, Los Alamos National Lab, and the Air Force Research Lab—was an opportunity to demonstrate to invited local, national and international companies, entrepreneurs, and investors that New Mexico collectively has rich and deep technology assets that could be the answer to real-world problems and industry needs.  The event also showcased 17 start-up companies already commercializing technologies from the institutions. Several of the industry companies in attendance also met separately with inventors and start-ups.
 
Technologies pitched by inventors included the following:

• An infrared retina – an imaging system modeled on the human eye
• A desalination process to clean water
• A device that links to smart phones and head phones to alert distracted runners and walkers of approaching threats
• A portable device that detects bacterial and viral compounds through a breath test
• A biopolymer that can protect stainless steel pipes from hydrogen erosion
• An environmentally friendly larvicide that uses lemon grass oil to kill mosquito larvae
• A low-carbon, renewable fuel from biomass
• A low-cost, light-weight device that improves heat transfer in thermal energy storage systems
• A high-power, broad-band amplifier for radar applications such as tracking of space debris
• A method for producing magnetic vortex fluids using magnetic particles for mixing and heat transfer
• A fluid-filled, multi-functional composite material for radiation shielding
• A depleted uranium oxide film for low-cost optoelectronic devices such as uranium photodiodes

The technology showcase was presented by the state of New Mexico’s Technology Research Collaborative (TRC) and the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NM MEP) and organized by STC.UNM on behalf of the Innovate New Mexico partners.

 

TRC, re-established by Governor Martinez in 2013, is a consortium of the state’s research and national lab institutions for the purpose of commercializing the wealth of technologies that exist at the institutions that will create new technologies, companies and jobs, and create a workforce to support these enterprises. The TRC has a business-centric focus to leverage investment and technology maturation funds it receives to invest in business/university/laboratory technologies that have a strong plan to bring the technologies to market.  The TRC is administered through the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Office of Science & Technology.
 
MEP is a statewide assistance center for small and mid-sized manufacturers in New Mexico, dedicated to increasing their competitiveness through programs and services through partnerships with government, not-for-profit and industry resources.

 

Luncheon Panel

A luncheon panel discussion on what is happening now and what will be needed to make New Mexico the “The State of Innovation” was moderated by Patricia Knighten, former manager of the NMEDD’s Science & Technology office and current chief business development officer of Team Technologies, Inc., an advanced engineering and manufacturing company in Albuquerque.  “The TRC recently provided $300,000 in funding to six startup companies to help them develop and commercialize several innovative technologies that are the result of partnerships among researchers at New Mexico’s laboratories and universities and the private sector.  This is an example of great collaborations going on among the partners, and we’d certainly like to see more of this happening through the Innovate New Mexico program.  As a group, these institutions are very rich in assets” commented Ms. Knighten.
 
Panel participants included Matthew Fetrow, technology engagement lead for the Air Force Research Laboratory, Lisa Kuuttila, CEO & chief economic development officer for STC.UNM, Kevin Wedeward, dean of engineering at New Mexico Tech, Duncan McBranch, chief technology officer for Los Alamos National Laboratory, Terry  Lombard, director of intellectual property and technology transfer for the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University, and Genaro Montoya, program leader for Sandia National Laboratories.
 
The panel updated the audience on commercialization activities and programs at their respective institutions, which included the Arrowhead Center’s Aggie iCorp program and Aggie Innovation Fund; New Mexico Tech’s inaugural inventor and entrepreneur workshop and Center for Leadership & Technology Commercialization; AFRL’s new commercialization and technology transfer partnership with New Mexico Tech; LANL’s small business technology program and Pathfinder Fund; STC’s Co-Investment Fund for UNM start-ups, Innovate ABQ innovation district, and the Innovation Academy for UNM students; and Sandia’s Center for Collaboration and Commercialization and its work with small companies through the NMSBA program.
 
Panel members were asked where they believe the gaps/needs are in commercializing technologies in the state.  Comments (including those from the audience) are summarized below:

• Provide more gap funding to mature early stage technologies to attract investor interest
• Provide more venture capital funding for new companies
• Pursue more partnerships between university start-ups and large companies outside the state who can provide needed management, distribution and marketing resources
• Focus on millennial and baby boomer entrepreneurs and investors
• Promote New Mexico start-ups outside the state
• Provide more product development and management expertise for start-ups to balance their technology expertise
• Pursue more industry-sponsored research
• Create a “bulletin board”-type program that would identify real problems in the state that need solutions
• Pursue stronger connections with the state’s industry associations that can help to make connections to their national counterparts
• Leverage more projects through the SBA and SBIR/STTR programs.

Panel discussion ended with the speakers identifying growing technology areas in the state, including biotech/bioscience, water and energy technologies, photonics (optics and lasers), flow cytometry technologies, microsystems, small satellite technologies, software development, unmanned air systems (control technologies for drones), and smart grids/smart systems.
 
Venture Capital
 
Brian Birk, managing partner for Sun Mountain Capital, a Santa Fe-based private equity and venture capital investment firm for public and private entities, provide special remarks on the funding climate in New Mexico.  Sun Mountain advises the State Investment Council (SIC) on its Private Equity Investment Program (PEIP), which invests in venture capital funds in New Mexico.  Mr. Birk stated that in the ten years since the SIC has been investing in technology companies in New Mexico, the state now has the right formula for investing in the best companies and fund managers.  Thousands of jobs have been created and $100 million in profits have flowed back to the state.  “Today, for every $1 invested by the state in a start-up company $6 in additional investments is brought in from good venture capital funds that appreciate the technology depth these companies have that are based on real scientific breakthroughs,” he said.
 
Mr. Birk stated that the future of funding in New Mexico looks bright, especially with the creation of a new initiative.  The Catalyst Fund will provide $20 million for investment in seed technology development funds across the state.  The initiative is a collaborative effort among the SIC, the state EDD, the city of Albuquerque, and the New Mexico Finance Authority who have worked together to structure the fund.  This new $20 million dollar fund of funds will be allocated to various micro funds that will have to match funds to at least 50%, doubling or more the possible money available for start-ups in the state. Sun Mountain will manage the program under the SIC’s PEIP.
 
Larry Alei, board member-at-large on the TRC board, ended the day’s event with some final thoughts on the vision of the TRC and also thanked the event co-sponsors and organizer.  “Working together our research institutions in the state can do more to commercialize our rich technology assets than we can do separately.  Coupled with making more capital available for smart investing in new companies will help us succeed in creating more technology-related jobs throughout the state, and contribute to economic growth and an innovation economy.”
 
The technology showcase was followed by a reception sponsored by the Innovate ABQ® development team of Signet Development, Dekker Perich Sabatini, and Signet Development where attendees, research institution technology managers and inventors were able to network and share information about technologies and business needs and opportunities.

 

About Innovate New Mexico®

Innovate New Mexico is a statewide network among STC.UNM, New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Air Force Research Laboratory to create a “front door” through co-location to the technologies developed among these research partners.  The network brings together the partners’ innovation assets to one source to provide easy access for entrepreneurs, investors, companies, industry partners, and others interested in commercializing new technologies developed in New Mexico.  The program grew out of an initiative developed and spearheaded by STC in 2015 that brought together the research partners and economic development professional from the Technology Research Collaborative, the Mid-Region Council of Governments and the state’s congressional delegations.  Visit the program website at www.innovatenewmexico.com.